James Bashall

Bashall was born on 3 April 1962 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England.[1] He was educated at Marlborough College, an Independent boarding school.[2]

Bashall was commissioned in to the Parachute Regiment in 1984.[3] By 2002 he had become Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment[4] serving in Afghanistan.[5]

He commanded 1st Mechanized Brigade[6] based in Basra in Southern Iraq during Operation Telic in 2007.[7] He was appointed Director Army Division of the Defence Academy at Shrivenham in January 2009[2] and went on to be Chief of Joint Force Operations in December 2009:[8] in this capacity he masterminded the covert Special Air Service rescue operations across war-torn Libya in early 2011.[7] He became General Officer Commanding 1st (UK) Armoured Division in April 2011,[8] Chief of Staff, Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood in August 2012[9] and Commander Personnel and Support Command in June 2015 (his role was re-designated Commander Home Command in May 2016).[10][11][12] Bashall retired from the British Army on 27 October 2018.[13]

Bashall was appointed as the National President of the Royal British Legion in May 2019.[14] When appointed, Bashall said "It is an honour to be appointed as the National President of The Royal British Legion, a charity with an esteemed history, and one that plays a vital role in today’s Armed Forces community."[15] He will serve in his position until May 2022.[15]